One way or another, Naletilic expects his client to copy former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo by plying his trade in the Italian top flight before the end of his career.

"For whatever reason, Modric wants to be a star in Serie A with Inter. Let's see," he told Tuttosport. "I believe that sooner or later Luka will play in Italy. Like a lot of Croatians his age, he grew up watching Italian football.

"The fact Inter Milan tried to sign him and Modric took it into consideration shows the influence Cristiano Ronaldo is already having on Italian football."